Sphere director



July 19, 1966 E. A. ERICSON 3,26l ,048

' SPHERE DIRECTOR Filed Dec. 30, 196 4 INVENTOR.

ERNEST A. ERICSON,

ATTORNEY- United States Patent 3,261,048 SPHERE DIRECTOR Ernest A.Ericson, Channelview, Tex., assignor, by mesne assignments, to EssoResearch and Engineering Company, Eiizabeth, N.J., a corporation ofDelaware Filed Dec. 30, 1964, Ser. No. 422,346 4 Claims. (Cl. 15-10406)In the operation of pipelines, it has been the practice to directspherical pigs through the pipeline for the purpose either of cleaningthe interior of the pipeline or to separate discrete slugs of fluidwhich are being directed through that pipeline. In the course of use ofthese spheres, it becomes necessary in certain instances to direct thesphere selectively through one of two divergent branches of the flowingstream. The present invention provides a device whereby the sphere canbe directed into either of two divergent courses without interruptingthe flow of fluid through either course.

The present invention broadly relates to a sphere director comprising acasing means defining a fluid inlet and two divergent fluid outlets,with a swinging pervious vane which can block selectively either of thetwo courses, guiding the sphere into the other course, while providingonly a slight impediment to the passage of fluid through either of thedivergent courses and allowing continuous fluid flow through bothcourses even while directing the sphere as aforesaid.

All of this can be more easily understood by reference to the drawingswherein:

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross section of a preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a section taken through the vertical center line of the runportion shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an alternative form of pervious vane; and

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a particular installation wherein thepresent invention finds great utility.

The present invention is a sphere director for use in a vertical portionof a fluid pipeline. Referring now to FIG. 1, the present invention isseen to comprise a sphere director 100, which is made up of a tubularrun portion 102 and a tubular lateral portion 103. The cross sections ofeach of these portions are circular, and the portions are substantiallyidentical in diameter. The run portion and the lateral portion arejoined medially of the run portion at a preferred angle of about 30 to60 and define an acute junction 104. It follows that, when said spheredirector is installed in a vertical portion of a fluid pipeline, thelateral portion 103 will be inclined from the horizontal at an anglefrom 30 to 60. At this acute junction is mounted a bearing means 106which contains a shaft 108 rotatable therewithin and which is openwithin the sphere director to allow attachment of the vane 110 to shaft108. The shaft 108 carries the pervious vane 110 which preferablyextends from threefourths to one and one-fourth diameters of the runportion from said shaft and which can assume positions within the limitsshown by the dotted lines. Thus, the pervious vane is freely moveablefrom a first position substantially blocking said run portion 102 to asecond position substantially blocking said lateral portion 103. Theshaft centerline is outside the casing so it will not obstruct passageof the spheres. The casing is cut to provide clearance for the vane. Thesphere director can suitably be provided with flanges as is shown at114, 116, and 118 to allow the easy assembly of said device within apiping system.

Referring now to FIG. 2, wherein like numerals have been employed forlike elements, it is seen that the vane 110 is formed in the shape of aU, from bar stock, and is joined to the shaft 108 at the extremities ofthe legs.

3,261,048 Patented July 19, 1966 The shaft 108 is clearly shown as beingcarried by the bearing means 106 and as being provided with a handle 107whereby the vane can be manually directed.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the vane can be constructed as shown at 310mounted upon a shaft 308. In this embodiment, the vane is constructed ofeither a sheet metal or bar stock frame 311 upon which is mounted a wirenetting 312 so that an impediment to the passage of the sphere can beprovided while remaining pervious to fluid flow. Obviously, perforatedplate or other similar material can be used instead of netting informing the pervious vane.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the sphere director 400 of the presentinvention is shown in an environment wherein it finds particularutility. In the service shown, the sphere director 400 is used indirecting spheres in the flowing stream through line 402 into a returnduct 404 from whence the spheres are reintroduced into a sphere launcher406. The sphere launcher 406 is constructed internally substantially asdisclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 161,558, now US.Patent 3,158,888. The fluid continually flows in the direction shown bythe arrow, and is diverted partially through the line 404 and partiallythrough the line 410 for fl-ow through the sphere launcher 406, fromwhence the fluid is directed by way of line 412 into the downstreamportion of the pipeline 414.

As can be seen from the schematic diagram, the pervious vane 415 hangsvertically by reason of the forces of gravity and directs spheres suchas the sphere 416 into the return loop 404. Other spheres can bedischarged by the sphere launcher 406, after a reversal of direction offluid flow, into the line 402 for transmission through the pipeline 408.The vane will be pushed aside by the sphere but will drop back intoposition so that upon a second reversal of fluid flow a returning spherewill be directed into the return ducts 404.

The return loop can be provided with signaling devices 420 and 422,which may be constructed as disclosed in FIG. 3 of United States Patent3,021,703. The signaling devices can operate signal lights asillustrated as 421 and 423, or can be utilized to operate countingmechanisms instead. As the sphere passes the signal 420, the light 421will indicate that the sphere has entered the system. If the signal 422does not operate the light 423, it is apparent that the sphere has hungin the sphere director by reason of the phenomenon of fluid bypassing.If this occurs, the handle on the sphere director shaft can be manuallyturned to rotate the vane 415 in the direction of the sphere, therebyforcing it up into the pipe 404 where it can be carried into the spherelauncher 406.

Having disclosed in detail the specifics of my present invention andhaving disclosed an environment wherein the invention has particularutility, what is desired to be protected by Letters Patent should belimited not by the specific embodiment herein given, but only by theappended claims.

I claim:

1. For use in a vertical portion of a fluid pipeline, a sphere directorcomprising a tubular run portion having a substantially circularinterior cross section,

a tubular lateral portion having a substantially cir cular interiorcross section of identical diameter with respect to said tubular runportion,

said run portion and said lateral portion being joined at an anglemedially of said run portion, said angle of juncture being inclined fromthe horizontal at an angle from 30 to 60, the walls of said run portionand said lateral portion defining an acute junction,

tubular bearing means attached to, depending from,

"ice

and extending exteriorly of said run portion and said lateral portion atsaid acute junction, said hearing means being arranged about a centerline normal to the plane defined by the center lines of said run portionand said lateral portion, 5

shaft means freely rotatably supported within said bearing means, and

pervious vane means rigidly attached to said shaft means and extendinginto said sphere director a distance of three-fourths to one andone-ifourth diameters of the run portion, said vane means being movablefrom a first position substantially blocking said run portion to asecond position substantially blocking said lateral portion.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said 15 pervious vanemeans is a Wire net.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said pervious vane meansis a U-shaped bar rigidly attached to said shaft by the legs thereof.

4. Apparatus in accordancewith claim 3 further comprising a handlerigidly attached to said shaft exterior of said housing, whereby saidshaft can be turned.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 914,824 3/ 1909Greenan. 2,710,064 6/1955 Osmun 166-70 3,139,932 7/1964 Johnson 16675CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. EDWARD L. ROBERTS, AssistantExaminer.

1. FOR USE IN A VERTICAL PORTION OF A FLUID PIPELINE, A SPHERE DIRECTORCOMPRISING A TUBULAR RUN PORTION HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULARINTERIOR CROSS SECTION, A TUBULAR LATERAL PORTION HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLYCIRCULAR INTERIOR CROSS SECTION OF IDENTICAL DIAMETER WITH RESPECT TOSAID TUBULAR RUN PORTION, SAID RUN PORTION AND SAID LATERAL PORTIONBEING JOINED AT AN ANGLE MEDIALLY OF SAID RUN PORTION, SAID ANGLE OFJUNCTURE BEING INCLINED FROM THE HORIZONTAL AT AN ANGLE FROM 30* TO 60*,THE WALLS OF SAID RUN PORTION AND SAID LATERAL PORTION DEFINING AN ACUTEJUNCTION, TUBULAR BEARING MEANS ATTACHED TO, DEPENDING FROM, ANDEXTENDING EXTERIORLY OF SAID RUN PORTION AND SAID LATERAL PORTION ATSAID ACUTE JUNCTION, SAID BEARING MEANS BEING ARRANGED ABOUT A CENTERLINE NORMAL TO THE PLANE DEFINED BY THE CENTER LINES OF SAID RUN PORTIONAND SAID LATERAL PORTION, SHAFT MEANS FREELY ROTATABLY SUPPORTED WITHINSAID BEARING MEANS, AND PERVIOUS VANE MEANS RIGIDLY ATTACHED TO SAIDSHAFT MEANS AND EXTENDING INTO SAID SPHERE DIRECTOR A DISTANCE OFTHREE-FOURTHS TO ONE AND ONE-FOURTH DIAMETERS OF THE RUN PORTION, SAIDVANE MEANS BEING MOVABLE FROM A FIRST POSITION SUBSTANTIALLY BLOCKINGSAID RUN PORTION TO A SECOND POSITION SUBSTANTIALLY BLOCKING SAIDLATERAL PORTION.